I think what fish key on more than anything is the way a fly moves.    Stupid (uneducated) fish - bones or tarpon - are aggressive and will hit a fast moving fly. They have no suspicion and will chase a fly down. As these same fish see more pressure and flies, they become wary and shy. Now, the presentation and the fly have to be right to hook up. Move the fly too much and they spook. I think they may be recognizing that unnatural movement, but the fly certainly has something to do with it.

Current theories of a fish's memory aside, anglers have long known that fish learn. Ask any tarpon angler in the Keys. The bones in the Bahamas got tougher to catch during the late 90's and 'dumb' again after 9-11, which put a serious damper on travel outside the US. In the busy months of the previous season you could watch anglers change flies all day with barely an eat. What I didn't see was many folks experimenting with different retrieval styles, (though you'd hear a lot about how many times they had to change flies).

Anglers have long known that fish learn. Ask any tarpon angler in the Keys.

Most anglers have a particular way they retrieve for a given fish -- some fast, some slow and long, some twitchy -- and they stick with what they know works. Thing is, an aggressive stripping technique (i.e. moving the fly too much or too fast) hardly ever seems to work on educated fish. The irony is that the frustration of consistent refusals often makes us try harder, which can translate into doing more when we should be doing less.

Normal bonefish pray moves very little when threatened. Several books on bonefish have pointed out that a majority of their diet is clams and worms, neither of which is known for speed. Of course, bones also feed on crabs and shrimp, both of which are very mobile, but both these pray species tend to hide in the face of danger. Ever walked along a shoreline and seen crabs dart out toward deeper water? They may only swim a foot or so then dive to the bottom and hide. If the bottom is soft enough they bury themselves. Shrimp utilize a similar strategy, darting at the approach of danger and then holding still to hide. In neither case does the prey keep up a continuous, darting retreat. The fact that such a retrieve with a fly often works is more evidence of a fish's opportunistic nature than the infalability of such a retrieve.

On flats where the bones are wild, you cast and strip, like for jacks but a little slower, and they chase the fly down to eat it. Other, pressured flats require more of a soft-sell. You know, lead the fish a little further, and barely twitch the fly when they get into range. Watch the fish and you'll know if they've seen it. I've had fish study a fly for what seemed like a minute (probably 5-10 seconds) before tailing on it hard. On those days other fish spooked when the fly moved too much. I'm convinced letting it sit looked more natural -- more like the behavior of real pray and not merely like something he'll put in his mouth out of curiosity. Therefore, when stripping for wise bones less is more. Really.

(Tarpon are also now way smarter than they once were. A lot of the guides are now teaching the 'dangle' stripping technique where once it was 1-2 foot strips. These fish just won't swim much out of their way for a fly like they used to. It seems over the last 30 years they've learned a thing or two. Go figure.)

So, what's this to do with fly selection? Well, the more you're able to move a fly, the less specific it can be. Take the Clouser -- a top Andros fly. Big fish there like moving flies (feeding heavily on mud minnows and other baitfish) so the Clouser works great with long, slow strips. On the other hand, there are flats -– say in the Florida Keys -– that hold shrimp and crabs which hide rather than run, so you want to move the fly less. Of course, this gives the fish a lot more time to inspect the fly. Impressionistic flies with bright colors or too much flash rarely pass inspection in a foot of crystal clear water under a bright sun. However, tie on a slightly more realistic pattern -– no flash, neutral colors, rubber legs, and mono eyes -– and you might convince him. Bottom line, the more you can move a fly, the less important fly selection is so long as it's generally the right size and shape. The spookier the fish and the less you can move it, the better the pattern should be. Flies with a lot of life while sitting still –- those with bunny fur, marabou, and rubber legs -– can look convincing just sitting on the bottom.

Many of the fish I cut my teeth on -- fish I had to get clients to catch -- were very smart and wary. I had to develop techniques and flies that would consistently produce. Though I've tied and fished most of the patterns in Dick Brown's Bonefish Fly Patterns, I take most of my fish on flies tied on small hooks, with little or no flash, and neutral colors.

On spooky fish I like little twitches -- maybe 1-2 inches -- but not too fast. Another good approach is a long, slow constant strip, mixed up with a pause now and then (think: swimming shrimp). Both are very natural and have the advantage of keeping the fly in the 'zone' longer, basically requiring less of a decision from the fish than a fly it has to chase down.

Also, you can get a lot of mileage on “the drop”, a presentation used to great effect by Key's anglers targeting trophy bones. It relies on being able to maintain muscular control in the face of big fish, cast as close as you can without spooking them, and let the fly sink to the bottom. Actually hooking up then depends on not passing out or having a mild stroke when the fish -– should you have been lucky enough not to spook him -– swims over and eats it. Of all the techniques I think this is the toughest since the angler cannot go into autopilot, but must maintain constant contact with the fish. Only if the fish turns away is the fly twitched, barely. It helps if you have ice-water running through your veins instead of blood. Oh, yeah, and the fly? It's often a little neutral colored crab or “toad” fly weighted for the conditions. ( see "Targeting Giant Bonefish", at www.midcurrent.com)

Constant stripping keeps the angler in contact with the fly and allows them to feel the fish take.

In my travels these same techniques have worked on spooky bones in Eleuthera, Exuma, Honduras, Mexico, and the Florida Keys... all fishing unguided on my own.

Fly pattern is important, but since bonefish are very opportunistic feeders it is rarely so simple as 'matching the hatch'. Matching the color of the flats and choosing the right weight of the fly are certainly important elements. However, equally as important is the relationship between fly movement and fly appeal. Some flies work great if the fish don't get a good look -- Charlies, Clousers, Gotchas -- but don't work so well on smart fish when sitting still. Other flies work better sitting on the bottom -- Merkins, Bonefish Critters, Vaverka's Mantis Shrimp, and O'Keefe's Turds. These 7 patterns in various weights and colors will catch bonefish almost anywhere in the world... if you move them right.

Addendum: So, why do so many bonefish guides throughout the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Central America keep up a steady litany of “strip, strip, strip”, when an angler is on fish? Why do many bonefish guides keep up a steady litany of "strip, strip, strip," when an angler is on fish?I believe that's mainly to do with the high percentage of fish missed because the angler never feels the subtle pickup so typical of bonefish. Constant stripping keeps the angler in contact with the fly and allows them to feel the fish take. The guides probably figure it's better to lose a few fish to refusals than lose a lot to missed strikes. Also, there is the theory that when a bonefish tracks a fly it likes what it sees. Pausing in the retrieve to let the fly settle to the bottom changes the way it looks and might put a fish off. I'm not sure what I think about this. I've definitely seen fish follow a fly without taking, only to tip up and eat when the angler lets the fly dive to the bottom. This is particularly true of big bonefish.

Try these simple tips before your next time you have a bonefish tracking your fly. I guarantee your odds will go up. >    << Back to SALTY TIPS Page

~ Davin Ebanks, Fly Fisherman & Bonefish Guide